Terracotta Warriors
This is truly an amazing exhibit to see. There are three pits that are under excavation at the site. Many of the soldiers are damaged beyond reconstruction but there are hundreds that have been restored and placed in their original positions. There were horses among the soldiers indicating that they we cavalrymen. There are also infantry and a separate area (pit) for the officers and VIPs. Pit one is more than 240 meters in length and only about half of it has been excavated. Pit two is about 100 meters long and contains both cavalry and infantry personnel as well. Pit three is directly behind pit 2 and contains the officers and important people.
The soldiers are part of a 53 sq
kilometer site that is the tomb of Emperor Qin. Much of this are is completely closed now. There are some difficulties in excavating the soldier pits that has caused little activity in the rest of the area. These include oxidation of much of the paint that was used to color the soldiers and a strain of bacteria that is causing premature deterioration of the terracotta clay that the army is made from. Solutions to these two difficulties need to be found before much further excavation takes place.
This exhibit is a must for anyone going to the Xi’an area. The group was totally and utterly amazed by the exhibit. There could be a large tome written on the soldiers and indeed there have been many, so if you want to find out more please surf the web to find out.
Dumpling Lunch
From the Soldiers we went back to Xi’an and gorged ourselves on a sumptuous lunch, at least some
of us did. There was an opportunity to upgrade lunch to a sixteen-course dumpling lunch. Those opting (3 of our group did) out of the optional lunch had a delicious meal as well. This lunch presented dumpling after dumpling.
Sixteen different kinds of dumpling, most all delicious, were even shaped into the figure of the substance they contained. Shrimp in the shape of shrimp, duck in the shape of duck, walnut in the shape of walnuts, and many others, let your imagination be your guide. I would call this the best meal I have had in China so far on the trip.
Art Gallery & Calligraphy
After the wonderful lunch we went to an art gallery where we got a tour and a lesson in Chinese Calligraphy. This was interesting and enlightening as well. It seems that the Chinese characters are all made up of 8 basic strokes that in themselves are pretty easy to learn. It’s the combinations that are difficult. There are after all more than 50,000 characters. All seemed to enjoy this activity.
Massages
After the gallery and lessons most all of us went to get a massage, either a full-body massage or a foot massage. Results and opinions of this activity were mixed. I enjoy the activity. Those choosing not to participate went on a walk in the city with our guide.
Mongolian Pot Dinner
This dinner was one of mixed reviews. I enjoyed the meal but other thought it was the worst we have had on the trip. The meal consists of a pot of boiling water in the center of the table and then the food, noodles and various types of meat and fish, are put in the boiling water to cook. When the food is done it is put into a sauce that is mostly soy sauce though one could also included sesame paste and of course hot oil. This meal was not spicy at all unless you chose to make it so.
One of the Canadian girls had her 16th birthday during this dinner. We had a cake for her and sang Happy Birthday. She was really surprised and I thought the cake was pretty tasty, though some thought otherwise. This was also a great addition to the dinner.
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